Citing Knox's strong academic programs and personalized campus experience, the 2013 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges has selected Knox as one of 300 "best and most interesting colleges and universities" among more than 2,200 higher education institutions in the United States.

 Highlights of the 2013 Fiske Guide evaluation of Knox include:

"Academics are a priority" 

• "National reputation for its undergraduate independent research" -- The depth and breadth of current undergraduate research at Knox was showcased in Horizons 2012, while a psychology research study that began as a student project received extensive coverage for its findings on girls sexuality and self-image.
• "A strong writing program" -- Recognition includes awards for student writing in the Nick Adams Short Story Competition; the student magazine Catch, which is longest running, continuously published college literary journal in the country; and The Knox Student campus newspaper; awards to writing faculty including Monica Berlin, and Chad Simpson, and acclaim for alumni authors such as American Book Award winner Alex Kuo, Edgar Allen Poe Award nominee Patricia Curtis Pfitsch and  Society of Midland Authors' Award winner BJ Hollars.
•   "Exceptional sciences" -- Recent accomplishments include an NSF grant to professor David Bunde in computer science, a new book on climate change and ecological restoration by biology professor Stuart Allison, and extensive media coverage of faculty research in the sciences.

 "Academic relationships are infused with a spirit of cooperation and equality" and an "unusual degree of personal attention"

• Strong faculty advising system helps students develop educational plans.
• Center for Teaching and Learning; additional academic support services including Ronald McNair and TRIO programs.
• Center for Career and Pre-professional Development provides expert, personalized service.

 Student praise for campus life, community involvement

• "Galesburg is a small town with a lot of hidden treasures," one student told the 2013 Fiske Guide. Of the 101 Fun Things to Do as a Knox Student, more than one-third are opportunities in the Galesburg community.
• "Students who attend Knox are involved with their community, campus and otherwise," was another student comment featured by the 2013 Fiske Guide. On campus, Knox features more than 100 clubs and organizations; in the community, the most recent college-community initiative, KnoxCorps, will place students as interns at non-profit agencies throughout Galesburg.

The Fiske Guide, which does not accept advertising or fees from the colleges that it evaluates, is edited by Edward B. Fiske, former education editor of the New York Times. Fiske is renowned for his research in the area of school reform, including his book "Smart Schools, Smart Kids." He also has studied education in South Africa and Third World countries for UNESCO and other international organizations.

Fiske and his wife, Helen Ladd, are coauthors of several books -- "When Schools Compete: A Cautionary Tale," "Elusive Equity: Education Reform in Post-Apartheid South Africa," and "Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy."